Thursday, July 26, 2012

Review: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the
shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other
girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel
knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her
father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the
Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the
same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who
handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her
father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against
the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could
destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As
apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan
is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But
his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to
protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he
realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a
monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they
discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the
making.

From the first moment I heard about Defiance
I knew that I wanted to read it, and boy does this book not disappoint! From
page one I was captivated with this story and it's characters.

In the city of Baalboden,
the Commander rules his people with an iron fist. On one hand, he promises to
protect them from the cursed one, but on the other hand, he kills those who do
not follow his law. One of those laws being that every female must have a male
protector. They are not allowed to even leave their house without one. When
Jared, Rachel's father, does not come home from his courier mission, the
Commander pronounces him dead. Her fathers will states that Logan, the boy she
proclaimed her love to two years earlier is her new protector. This makes
things very awkward since Logan
did not return the favor. Rachel, convinced her father is still alive, will do
anything to find him, with or without Logan's
help. This is when the action starts, and it is non stop until the end!

I loved Rachel! Her father raised her to be strong and independent. She's kick
ass and can protect herself in any situation. Because of everything that
happened to her in such a short amount of time, I can understand the reasoning
behind some of her choices. Some were stupid, but again, they were understandable.

Logan was
absolutely amazing! He is definitely the broken type-orphaned and lonely, he
became the apprentice to Jared when he was younger. After watching his mother
be murdered at the hands of the Commander, he was labeled a social outcast. He
was starving and living on the streets when Jared took him in. He owes his life
to Jared and takes his job as Rachel's protector very seriously and also cares
very deeply for her. What's not to love about him? He's a sexy nerd who can
fight like no other. He's also sweet and loyal and would do anything for those
he cares about it. If I participated in the book boyfriend meme, Logan would definitely be
my top pick!

I loved the romance between Logan and Rachel. They have known each other for
years but ever since Rachel told Logan
her feelings, and he did not reciprocate, their friendship has been on the
outs. Now they are forced to be together again, and I think the way their
relationship was written was perfect. It made complete sense how it all came
together. Rachel and Logan are hands down, one of my favorite YA couples!

The Commander is a terrifically written villain. He's scary and brutal! The
things that he has done to people are heartbreaking, especially when you learn
the full story of what happened to Logan's
mother. Rachel was determined to get revenge on the Commander for all of the
terrible things he has done in his life. I admired Rachel for not giving up on
that revenge, no matter how difficult it seemed at times.

Defiance is so
easy to get into. It's fast paced and action packed. There was never a dull
moment and I literally could not put this book down! The writing was
captivating and interesting, and I thought the story was very original. I also
love that it was written in the POV of both Logan and Rachel. It was just
perfect and made me understand these characters so much better!

I also thought the cover was perfectly simplistic in a big way. Does that make
any sense? I really got a sense of the story from the cover. The artistic department
at Harper are geniuses!

I would HIGHLY recommend Defiance. I can
not wait until I can have a finished copy of this book on my shelf!

You know, the first couple times I read the synopsis, I actually didn't think this book was for me. However, read it again today, and then reading your review, I am totally excited to read it now! Your reviews are VERY convincing, Kristina :-)